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The Importance of Operation Overlord
It is a common misconception that the Normandy invasion was the first Allied assault on mainland Europe, but in actuality the Allies had already launched a successful assault on Italy in 1943. This southern assault could have been used as the key into Europe but there would have been several disadvantages. Though Italy was less heavily defended than northern Europe, the staging of men and equipment would have been more difficult. The sea ports the Germans held in France and through northern Europe afforded the Axis increased naval range which affected the allied shipping and naval transports. Massive troop transports would be prime targets for the U-boats would they have been required to move the thousands of troops south through the Atlantic and then through the Mediterranean to Italy. Even had they used North Africa as a staging point instead of Britain there would have been more losses in the Atlantic. The northern approaches across the Atlantic were farther away from German naval bases and closer to Britain’s. By staging in and thus fortifying Britain, it also provided a morale boost to the long beleaguered British. Building up to June 1944, America had been ferrying across thousands of men and tons of equipment to Britain in preparation for assaulting the European mainland. American aircraft have already been heavily involved with striking into France and Germany. The planning for Operation Overlord had been going on for months under the utmost secrecy by senior allied commanders. The Germans were very aware that an assault would be coming in northern Europe, but they did not know the exact location. Hitler had a great amount of faith in his Atlantic sea wall being able to repel any assault the Allies could throw against it. It was at this point that several of Hitler’s plans backfired. Not only was the belief in his Atlantic wall misplaced (a static defense will always have weaknesses), but the changes in the German military leadership giving Hitler supreme command weakened their flexibility. His misplaced belief in the supremacy of the German war machine made him lax in being proactive about the defense of Europe. Once the invasion at Normandy began, these were a few issues for the Germans that had been glossed (or propagandad) over and would have come to fruition eventually. It may not have been the final battle for Germany’s chances, but it was the foothold needed for the Allies to begin their major assault into northern Europe. Had they not been able to solidify this foothold, the ability to move onto the mainland would have been hindered greatly and probably held back to a rivers flow instead of the tidal wave of men and equipment that were brought ashore at the Normandy beachheads. As was shown during the Operation Market Garden airborne invasions, not having the supply and reinforcement lines would have been a costly disaster. In the east, Russia would have been put very close to defeat at the minimum had the units tied up in France and Germany been made available for Hitler to send against them. Though weather and equipment were both challenges to Germany’s army in Russia it was the supplies, fuel, and men that began to run short. Were those resources available instead of having to supply two separate fronts, the Germans would have been able to outlast and outgun the Soviets. Category:History Category:WWII